Results 11 to 13 of 13
Thread: Did the law change?
-
February 24th, 2022, 10:18 AM #11
Re: Did the law change?
Repealing the NFA won't happen. You never hear the ATF or even Congress critters talk about permabanning NFA weapons or suppressors, because the NFA transfers are a cash cow for the ATF. It's many millions of $$$ every year.
You don't write checks or MOs for the transfer taxes to "United States Treasury" like is done when you owe tax to the IRS. The payee is "BATFE". Now, BATFE says they deposit the transfer tax $$$ in the Treasury; a data table on their website for 2020 states that transfer taxes go to the general fund of the US Treasury. What we don't know is if those $$$ are "credited" to the BATFE budget.
For 2020:
NFA registration applications (and transfer applications) 487,745
NFA registrations processed (total weapons) 512,315 forms (2,353,436 weapons)
NFA making and transfer tax collected $51,700,000
That bears repeating:
$51,700,000
in NFA transfer taxes collected in 2020.
(source: https://www.atf.gov/resource-center/...scal-year-2020)
Fact is, .gov gets $$$$$$$$, and they ain't gonna let that go. It's the sole reason that the "Hearing Protection Act" to remove suppressors from NFA failed to make it through Congress a few years back. BATFE testified in committee that removing suppressors from NFA would "break their rice bowl" and additional appropriations would be needed to make up the loss to BATFE.
What's that saying? Oh, yeah . . . Follow the $$$.
NoahLast edited by Noah_Zark; February 24th, 2022 at 11:03 AM.
Wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times.
-
February 24th, 2022, 03:57 PM #12
Re: Did the law change?
Ok, sorta makes sense to me, FFL does the 4473, sends a copy to the CLEO by certified mail or return receipt to prove the FFL did what he was supposed to, file the origional with the NFA paperwork the FFL keeps, mails the suppressor and everything is fine.
Now I know this will not go over very well, but I've had numerous customers saying they would have no problem paying the tax if all the checks and wait times were dropped. Go into a FFL/SOT, purchase your NFA item (not just supprressors but all NFA items), do the standard background check by NICS, pay the tax and walk out with the item. The ATF could then be utilized better to investigate/prosecute illegal alcohol, tabacco, firearms and explosives matters.Last edited by Xringshooter; February 24th, 2022 at 04:30 PM.
Ron USAF Ret E-8 FFL01/SOT3 NRA Benefactor Member
-
February 24th, 2022, 04:45 PM #13
Re: Did the law change?
Could not agree more, but the part in bold above would require more field agents and the people who process the NFA transfers work out of the ATF facility on Needy Rd in Martinsburg, WV, across from the VA hospital there. They are office/clerical/button and pencil pusher types who look up records and match them. Freeing them up would not result in more investigations or prosecutions; it would result in loss of jobs in that Congressional district, and we can't have that happen, can we?
I am reminded of the drop in NFA processing times that took place in 2006-2008 when the NFA Branch in Martinsburg got a new manager who shook things up and set performance quotas for those that processed NFA transfers. The last NFA item I made at the time was processed in six (6) weeks. That's WEEKS. There was a surge in NFA item sales and transfers because the economy was booming anyway, pre "Great Recession", but lots of people bought/made NFA items because the transfer time had dropped from 9-12 months to 6-8 weeks. BUT, the clerical types were processing like 5X and more the applications per day that they had been, and they did not like it. Complaints flew into ATF HQ in DC, and that manager who boosted efficiency was relocated. Productivity went back to what it had been, 9-12 months. The clerical types set their own productivity goals, and those of us who are NFA item fans suffer for the bureaucracy.
NoahWisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times.
Similar Threads
-
Change YOU CAN believe in!
By buster2209 in forum GeneralReplies: 3Last Post: November 4th, 2009, 01:59 AM -
.... keep the change .....
By soberbyker in forum GeneralReplies: 5Last Post: February 19th, 2009, 08:41 AM
Bookmarks